Argus News - Major Fire Breaks Out at Super Mart in Bhubaneswar's Lingipur, Firefighting Underway

Bhubaneswar, Feb 24: A major fire broke out at Super Mart in Bhubaneswar's Lingipur area on Monday night and firefighting operations were still underway more than nine hours later, officials said Tuesday.

The blaze erupted late at night and rapidly engulfed the third floor of the building. Thick smoke was seen billowing from the structure as firefighters worked to contain the flames.

After initially using water to contain the blaze, fire service personnel have brought in foam to intensify the firefighting efforts. As many as 25 foam units have reached the site, and a full-scale foam operation is currently underway. In addition, 35 water tankers were deployed to help bring the fire under control. An advanced robotic monitor has also been pressed into service to assist in dousing the flames.

Earlier, more than five Fire Service teams were deployed to the spot to bring the flame under control. Two fire engines were initially pressed into service, with additional units joining as the operation continued.

Officials said goods worth several lakh rupees were gutted in the incident. The extent of the damage is yet to be fully assessed.

Also Read: Delhi-Bound Air Ambulance Crashes After Takeoff From Ranchi

Our source from the ground said that dousing the flames has been challenging due to the heavy storage of plastic materials inside the supermarket, which intensified the blaze and prolonged the operation.

The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained. No casualties had been reported at the time of filing this report.

More details are awaited.